Important question for my friends of TFL

[Jffal]

I prefer spectacles, at least for driving, watching movies, etc. I just keep turning my head to compensate for reduced peripheral vision (and give my baby browns a rest from staring at any one object too long). Glassess have, as Jim March noted, served as armor for me on several occassions. Better their lenses get scratched then my own.

A co-worker wont go near contacts after an associate of his at the now defunct Naval Ship Yard in Philadelphia had his own contacts melted against his eyeballs by nearby tool sparks. Don't know whether the victim should have been wearing goggles or not and just happened to be in the wrong place.

Additionally, tainted batches of cleaning fluid or, god forbid, home made forumlas, have subjected some contact lens wearers to horrors.

Regarding the operations - one problem with the initial surgery was that it failed to take into account the changing size and structure of the orbs and their content as the patient grew, leading to vision problems. I have heard that current surgical procedures (with lasers?) take this growth into account. But, do the techniques in anyway weaken the eye?

If I was threatened by loss of vision rather than humble nearsightedness, I would research surgecal options. Till then, I will put up with clunky eyeware.

Have heard somewhere that just as the cautious practice shooting with their dominant and weaker hands, so some folks do shortrange training sans glassess/ eyeware.
Jeff

 

[Walt Welch]

Thaddeus; my wayward one. Once again you have strayed from the path of righteousness and light. Heed my words.

Don't have any eye surgery; with you it would undoubtedly turn out to be the one in one million that goes wrong with the surgeon in question.

Remember that the RK was done around the visual axis, but not involving it. The eximer laser blasts the visual axis, and if you get scarring there, you are in deep kim chee.

Heed the words of Jim March who points out the protective value of glasses; I have been happy many times that I had mine on. Further, if you survive and actually begin to practice your chosen field, you will find that having a splash barrier in front of your eye is something every doctor needs.

My advice: no surgery, wear glasses,and study non violent conflict resolution.

Do your parents know what you are doing and contemplating? Do they know where you are right now? Jeez. Some kids. Walt

 

[SB]

This is a profoundly interesting thread to me. For the longest time, I've wondered what to do myself. I wore glasses until it started to break on a pretty regular basis. My parents got tired of replacing it so they agreed to switch me to contacts. But when I started doing grappling also, I started to lose them on a regular basis too. But, mishaps for me was not as often for contacts as it was for glasses. Still, it was often enough for me to think about surgery. I was going to wait, hoping I can get a future insurance plan that will cover it. But, based on the information provided so far, it doesn't seem like a good idea anymore.

Currently, I'm sticking with contacts. With glasses, you might as well paint a bulleye on your face. Even the slightest jostle can compromise your vision. Contacts aren't targets like glasses. If anything, they're lost unintentionally. And though I lose contacts on a regular basis, mishaps don't happen as much as they do with glasses. At least not for me. And they're not expensive to replace if you have disposables like mine. Mine are the three month ones. Price is as good as any other types of contacts and it works great for me. Not only that, but contacts will STILL allow you to wear eye protection. And if they're knocked off your face, you won't lose your vision.

The thought of 20/40 vision is powerfully alluring. But, thanks to the great information you folks have provided, maybe I'll stay with contacts after all.

$.02

[This message has been edited by SB (edited June 09, 1999).]

 

[Larry P.]

Sorry I'm late, guys, but I think I might be more what Thaddeus is looking for, here.

First time my eyes were actually tested (as opposed to "read the 20/20 line") I was in my 30s and I showed up with 20/8 vision both near and far, in both eyes, the kind of incredible vision once referred to by Chuck Yeager in explaining his success as a fighter ace in WWII as "built-in telescopes" (he was 20/5). When my first son was born family wags commented that they sure hoped he wouldn't inherit my bald head, and I countered that I didn't give a rat's *** about that, just as long as he got my eyes! Those who have never had really good vision just cannot imagine....

No such luck, he got his Mom's eyes instead, as did his brother born later. All 3 were legally blind without their corrective lenses, something like 20/400 or worse. He wore contacts for around 10 years until they began irritating his eyes so bad on a regular basis that he went back to glasses.

When I first found out about RK I was so excited I couldn't even sleep. If I couldn't GIVE them my eyes, I was sure as heck gonna be ready to BUY them for 'em. But RK had and has just so many drawbacks that I knew it was gonna have to be their own choice, so I informed all that when or if they were ready I would be there with my checkbook.

So, years go by and new techniques are introduced and perfected, yet it seems like each one has its own set of drawbacks. Until Lasik. Sorry guys, you ain't gonna get me to agree on this one.

Elder son shows up one day about 2 years ago now, when he was 22, and announces that just as soon as he and his bride can save up the money he intends to have eye surgery, since living with glasses/contacts is just too much. I exploded. What the heck do you mean? That is MY job, you get that darn surgery whenever you want and don't worry about the money. Turned out the promise had been made so long ago he didn't even remember. But I did.

So he started his research, which went on for a year. Seems like he said in there somewhere that Lasik is now FDA approved, but I'm not certain. I do know that it is now used for nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. He studied the ring insert thingies, which are a neat idea in that they can change with your prescription, though that requires another surgery. But eventually he settled on Lasik, to be done by a doctor in Austin but needing to travel to Houston to get to the necessary machinery. Oh, joy, a month before we were gonna do all this a local hospital acquired the newest, hottest, whoop-de-do machinery so he didn't even have to leave town.

So his surgery was scheduled for 5:30 in the afternoon, the wife and I arrived at 5:15 to discover they'd gotten ahead and took him at 5:00. By the time I'd finished writing the check, around 5:25, here he comes. No pain, no anaesthetic, no blood, in and out in around 20 minutes, no eye patch, both eyes done. The joy I had from watching him take the tags off the new Serengettis I'd bought him for the occasion was worth my $4800 right there.

Early the next morning he drove himself to work. By the time the healing period was over (a month-Doc told him he couldn't water ski during that time, after which the eyes are as strong as ever. There is no permanent degradation of eye structure with Lasik!) one eye was 20/20 and the other not quite but real close. At least for now he is not interested in the "touch-up" procedure to make them both 20/20. If he decides to in the future, or if his eyes worsen again, further surgeries are free for life. That does not apply to farsightedness btw, only nearsightedness.

A couple months later, he made what seemed for a moment like a strange comment to me, that he'd come out of his house one morning and happened to look up and see the sunrise, and how beautiful it was. Then he turned to me and just said "Thanks, Dad." and I got it. He could SEE the sunrise!

Son the Younger has not really decided yet, tho I suspect I know what the answer will be. Depending on who you talk to, you have to be 21 and/or have had stable (unchanging) vision for a year before having Lasik, and he's still got a couple years to 21. The bride has just never really been interested, has gotten accustomed to reaching for her glasses even to get out of bed to go to the bathroom in pitch black. But spending the bucks for someone in their 50s is a different thing than for someone in their 20s. My son can look (no pun intended) forward to 60 years of not wearing glasses, much less coke-bottles.

It is possible to have bad experiences, even with Lasik. My son works with a guy who had Lasik at about the same time he did, with a different doctor who charged less. That gent had nothing but trouble, at least initially, I don't know if he still does. Swellings, watery eyes, blurred vision, etc., but my son had none of that. Vision is less than perfect coming out of the surgery (though MUCH improved already!) and settles down over a period of a month or two. My son did the requisite research, which previous advice has advised you of well, and of course cared not at all about what was gonna be charged, since he wasn't gonna be paying it!

I would not recommend to anyone that they undergo such a procedure to correct 20/50 vision, but when we're talking coke-bottles, do your homework and go for it.

Other than that, I've got two offers for you. 1)If you'll e-mail me, I'll give you his e-mail address so you can ask him yourself. 2)If you're gonna be anywhere near Austin in the future, my son as a customer can also get you a $500 discount. Hell, that'd pay for an airline ticket and an overnight, given prior coordination with the doctor that might be enough!

Good luck!

Larry P.